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When the Cubs designated Bryan LaHair for assignment Tuesday, all indications were the slugger would wind up in Japan.

The move overseas was made official Wednesday, with LaHair agreeing to a two-year contract with the SoftBank Hawks worth 4.7 million and 2 million a year in incentives, according to MLBTradeRumors' Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Details on LaHair deal: incl. signing bonus and buyout its a 4.7M deal for two years. Each year has 2M in incentives. Opt out after 2013. Ben Nicholson-Smith (@mlbtrben) November 22, 2012
As ESPN's Buster Olney reported, the Cubs received 950,000 in the deal.

LaHair's move to Japan is not altogether shocking.

Last winter, LaHair was coming off a phenomenal season at Triple-A Iowa (38 HR, 109 RBI) and a solid start to his Cubs career (.885 OPS in 69 plate appearances), but it was unknown exactly where he would fit in the new regime when Theo Epstein took over.

But while unfounded rumors had the Cubs reportedly courting Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder through the MLB winter meetings, LaHair was contemplating making a move to Japan to further his career. Epstein said it would probably be a mistake for LaHair to go to Japan and thought the slugger had earned a shot to play in the big leagues.

So LaHair stayed and he parlayed a hot start to the 2012 season into an All-Star appearance, but hit just .194 in July and .205 in August, giving way to Anthony Rizzo at first base.

Upon Rizzo's arrival, LaHair moved to right field -- pushing David DeJesus to center -- but struggled defensively and eventually lost his everyday job when Brett Jackson and the youth movement took effect in the season's final couple months.

As the Cubs attempt to improve their roster after a 101-loss season, there wasn't really a spot for LaHair in the team's immediate future.

The list of Cubs players eligible for the Hall of Fame this year will make you feel so old

The list of Cubs players eligible for the Hall of Fame this year will make you feel so old

Juan Pierre! Ted Lilly! Pierre spent three of his 14 seasons in Chicago, spending one season (2006) with the Cubs and two (2010-2011) with the White Sox. Lilly pitched for the Cubs from 2007-2010. The two join Sammy Sosa, Fred McGrith (a stretch) and Manny Ramirez (a STRETCH) as the Cubs' representation on the ballot.

The most notable player was Jim Thome, a Hall of Famer revered by White Sox fans for his time on the South Side.

Thome was a free agent in the winter before the 2003 season and according to Hendry, the Cubs would've signed him if not for Hee Seop Choi.

"Oh yeah," Hendry said. "Well Jim and I were old friends — for how well you could be. I mean, he grew up in Illinois and I had gotten to know him over the years. Love Jim Thome. And Jim Thome, I'm convinced today, if we didn't have [Choi], would've been a Cub. ... I remember having a couple chats with Jim over the years and I know part of him would've really wanted to."

Hindsight is 20-20 so it's funny to look back and think Choi — a failed prospect who was out of the majors before his 27th birthday — was the reason the Cubs couldn't get one of the greatest sluggers of the decade. But at the time, Choi was looked at as a potential star — a 23-year-old ranked by Baseball America as the No. 22 prospect in the game.

And like Hendry said, neither Choi nor Thome could play anywhere else.

Thome ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and would've made a major difference on the 2003 Cubs (he led the NL with 47 homers and drove in 131 runs with a .958 OPS), but it all worked out pretty OK for the Cubs. The next offseason, Hendry traded Choi to the Marlins for Derrek Lee and the big first baseman wound up having a fantastic career with the Cubs.

"Obviously Derrek played great for us and if it weren't for Albert Pujols, Derrek would've been MVP once or twice," Hendry said. "But yeah, who wouldn't have wanted Jimmy? If it was an American League team, I would feel comfortable saying that could've happened."

Thome played for the Phillies for three years before being traded to the White Sox, where he became an instant fan favorite. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Among the other moves that he wished he could've pulled off, Hendry — who served as the Cubs GM from July 2002 until August 2011 (shortly before Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer took over) — threw out a 2008 trade for Raul Ibanez that fell through.

The veteran outfielder/DH was already 36 in 2008, but hit .293 with an .837 OPS, 23 homers and 110 RBI in 162 games for the Mariners. Part of the issue, Hendry said, was the crowded outfield the Cubs already had at the time — including Alfonso Soriano, Jim Edmonds and Kosuke Fukudome.

The Cubs led the league in runs scored that year en route to 97 wins but they failed to win a single postseason game, scoring only 6 runs against the Dodgers in a three-game NLDS sweep. L.A. needed only 7 pitchers in that series - all of whom were right-handed - while the Cubs' top 6 hitters were all right-handed as well, illustrating the major problem in Hendry's eyes.

Hendry also confirmed the Cubs were never close to signing Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez prior to the 2003 season, but did say the Hall of Fame catcher came to Wrigley Field for lunch and a meeting (though the two sides never even exchanged numbers).

Rodriguez ultimately signed with the Florida Marlins...who came within five outs of being eliminated by the Cubs in the NLCS only to rally back to win the series and then claim a championship over the Yankees.